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It was a secret she didn't want carelessly shared with neighbours or anyone else in her small southwestern Ontario community.

But this week, Joanne, a 56-year-old medical marijuana grower and patient, was stunned when she received an envelope in the mail from Health Canada with her name, address and the printing for anyone to see: "Marihuana Medical Access Program."

"I cried at my mailbox when I saw that, it was so upsetting. I have never been so embarrassed. I was in a panic," Joanne told QMI Agency.

"It has been important for me to be confidential. I do a lot of volunteering and a lot of non-profit work."

Health Canada confirmed to QMI Agency Thursday Joanne was one of 40,000 to receive informational letters on upcoming changes to the Marihuana Medical Access Program.

In a statement, George Da Pont, deputy minister of Health, said he had been advised that because of an administrative error the envelopes were labelled to indicate they were sent by the medical marijuana program.

"This is not standard Health Canada practice. On behalf of Health Canada, I deeply regret this administrative error. Health Canada is taking steps to ensure this does not happen again,” adding the ministry had contacted the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

But, a spokesperson for the commissioner's office, the watchdog over government handling of sensitive and personal information, said it wasn't notified by Health Canada.

"We were made aware of it by a number of concerned individuals who contacted our office. We have since received complaints and we will be investigating this matter," the spokesperson wrote in an e-mail.

Joanne is concerned that someone who saw the envelope at the small post office could talk about it to others, making her and her husband a target for thieves looking for marijuana or a subject for public ridicule.

"Stigmatization exists," she said.

Previous correspondence simply said Health Canada.

“No one really knew what the package was. It kept our identity safe.

"They used to be discrete. I believe with the program ending they don't really care anymore. They put us up as a target," she said.

Joanne said she has complained to her MP and Health Canada.

She signed up for the medical marijuana program after suffering severe arthritis pain for decades.

Wanting to avoid opioid drugs, Joanne learned marijuana oil might be an option. It took years, but she was approved and has been a grower for two years.

She extracts the oil from the marijuana bud, puts it in a capsule and takes one a day at night.

"The first night I took the oil I was out of pain, I slept through the night. I hadn't slept for probably 20 years without waking up in pain. This is an amazing medicine," she said.

The government is overhauling the system for medical marijuana, moving from patient-grown pot to having it grown by large commercial producers by March 31.